James e



atten 4tartes gutem @fitta IMPROVEMENT I-N LOW-WATR DETEGTORS.

Lila tlpbulb referat tu in tlgcse tttters jzitmt mit mating aart nf its am.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: v

Be it known that I, JAMES-E. GILLESPIE, of Boston, in the county of Suiolk, and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Apparatus. for Indicating'the Height of' Water in SteamGenerat-ors; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the-construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in whichi I Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation; and i i Figure 2 is a transverse section.

Similar letters of reference are used to designate similar parts and features ofthe machine.

The drawing represents a steam. generator with some of the shell .broken away to show the interior, and

v1 'l represents the true water level. gf are two steam and-water pipes; the pipe g enters through the shell near the bottom of the boiler, and the pipefenters exactly at the' desired water level. Both pipes are extended above the .'boilerfat 2 2, at which point they are carried around after the manner of a spiral spring, thus ruaking a double cciliwhich will, if constructed of suitable material, have a considerable degree of elasticity. Upon the top of this coil is placed a tank constructed of light but strong material, that shall have suilcient strength to, sustain thefull steam pressure of the boiler.` This tank I propose to make of such size as will hold water enough to cause the coils 2 2 to be depress-ed by its weight;v -for instance, if the tank holds two gallons the weight of Water will not be far from sixteenpounds upon 'the coil in addition tothe weight of the tank. The pipeg ente-rs the boiler below the water level, and its upper end enters the tank at -the bottom g; the pipe f, which enters at the water level., is carried up -and around the coil, and theupper end enters the' tank very near or quite at the top. -There is no necessity of a valve or cock in either. pipe, but, when desired, any'of the common appliances for stopping the passage of steam can be used.. vAt the top of the tank e, a lever is shown which extends to the post It, and by the connecting-rod z' is attachedfto the whistle j. Ihese are all the parte of my apparatus, hutI would state that under some circumstances it may loe-advisable to place the whistle upon the top of the tan-k e, in which case the rhode of connecting the lever will readily suggestitself to any mechanic.

.The'opcration of my detector is las follows, Viz: The boiler being supplied with water up to the line 1 1, will cover the lower .ends of both pipes. .As soon as `steam is raised and a perceptiblepressure begins to 'be exerted in the steam space above the water, the-water will begin torise inboth pipes, and thus lthe tank-e will .be filled, and the gravity of the water will cause the coil-ot` pipes to be depressed, and so remain as long as the tank remains filled with water.; butif the water in the boilerislallowed to get below the end of the pipe f, thereby allowing steam to enter the pipe, it is evident stea'ni will find its way through the coil to the top of the tank e, andthereby cause the water inthe: tank to flow down the pipe g, thusA relieving the coil otspring pipe of the weight' ot the water, and thereby allow itto spring upwith a force equal tothe weight of the water just passed out. Now the tank is full of steam; and it' a'whistle is placed upon the top of' it, and so arrangedl that when'. the tank raises the :whistle will sound, the steam will pass out until the water again covers the pipe f,

when it will raisegby the steam pressure and again illthe tank; but if there heno whistle used or if a lcver be carried to an,independent-whistle, as in the drawing, then the steam that gets in the tank must be condensed before the water can raise so as to fill. the tank, lThus it will be seen that I use no valve or packed joints, and my apparatus is always-in readiness to repeat the alarm. By enlarging the capacity of thetank, I can obtain any requisite power. It will'also lienoticed that this coil can .be placed in any convenient locality if the pipes/v gf are carried to it, so that vit will' be possibleto have a'detector at any convenient distance from the'boiler, withoutimpairing its action. f v

What I claim as niy invention, and desire lto secure, by Letters-Patent, is,-

1. I claim the hollow springsgf, or their equivalents, lin combination withv the tank and boiler, as specified.

2. I .claiinlthe combination of the pipes and springs gf, and tank c, with the whistle of a boil-er, whereby to raise an alarm iii-case of low water.v

JAMES E. GiLLnsPIn.

Witnesses:

SUMNER ALBEE, L. S. ORAGIN,J1. 

